End of an Era – I Broke the Cookie Jar

I had a bad moment the other day when I dropped the lid to my Marvin Martian Cookie Jar. It was already cracked but this trauma made Marvin fall through the top. Unfixable! (Insert much sighing and weeping, here.) I loved that cookie jar. My Mom gave it to me many, many years ago. It sat on the counter near the bread basket (yes, I have a basket for our bread). There were usually cookies in it. Lately I had been putting cookies that I don’t like in it so I wouldn’t be tempted to eat them.

It’s weird when you have special connections to food-related objects. I’m going to call it nostalgia for the food and drink of our memories and cool things, too, of course. For example. I have a collection of cocktail shakers that started with the black and white speckled one that belonged to my Dad. I have my Mom’s green cake plate and my grandmother, Nana’s Wedgwood turkey platter. I also have a very small plastic juice glass from the set we used to use at Nana’s cottage. I have a couple of pieces of cutlery from Mom’s tulip set. They’re actually butt ugly but I like them. My dessert plate set is pressed-glass from Nana via Mom. I guess for some people, it’s a teacup, coffee mug, beer mug, ice cream dish, or maybe the popcorn bowl? I also have 3 square-shaped, 128 oz. jars that I use a canisters. My parents got them from the hot-dog stand at the Dominion store in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia when I was a year old. The jars used to hold relish. For me, they hold flour, sugar and memories.

I’m beginning to see that a lot of my issues with food are also related to happy (sad, angry etc.) memories from childhood. I think it is kind of silly and wee bit hordish but these are the heirlooms of my family and my kids will get them when I pass. Except there will be no Marvin Martian cookie jar. I had actually discussed the possibility with my children that we could use the Marvin Martian cookie jar to hold my ashes when I was cremated. When I go I want to be cremated and my ashes put somewhere like under a big tree in Goldstream Park. Could you imagine some archaeologist finding my remains in a sealed Marvin Martian cookie jar? I would be laughing out loud where ever I was.

So, what have I done with cookies? Right now they are in a commemorative Christie’s Soda Cracker tin. Yep, I used to collect tins, too. I don’t have many anymore but I still have some that are interesting or have cool memories like the Holland Rusk tin. Both Shauna and Leanne teethed on rusks. They had no sugar but that didn’t seem to change their tastes as they got older. I’ll blame it on the their grandparents spoiling them.

Well, it is with great sorrow that I try to think of some way to use the Earth part of the Marvin Martian cookie jar. I’ll work on making it a planter or….

4 Responses to “End of an Era – I Broke the Cookie Jar”

For better or worse, That’s an intense connection to food related items you have there. The positive would be that you hang on to things you love… The negative? Well I’m sure you might know some negative. I won’t go there. What I take away from this is you’re a woman with a lot of love and respect for your family, in particular your parents. And you like to have physical representations so you can share it with anyone who comes to your home. And that is a beautiful thing

I have a small knife fork spoon set that was given to me when I was first able to feed myself as a baby. My first eating tools besides my fingers! 😉 Each utensil has a relief image from a fairy tale on the handle. The frog prince, the cat and fiddle, and little Bo peep and her sheep.